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Close-up view of knitting still on the machine bed, showing distorted and overly tight stitches along the edge where the carriage enters, a common issue faced by machine knitters
Machine Knitting Tips
tip Troubleshooting

Does this happen to you?

Get to the bottom of why stitches aren't knitting properly at the edges of your knitting.

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Two machine-knitted stockinette stitch swatches demonstrating natural edge curling, a common characteristic of knitted fabric
Knitting Machine Projects | Patterns
curl tip

No-Roll Machine Knit Scarves

Plain knitting curls. As we machine knit, our stitches are uniform and flawless, which makes the curl more more pronounced.

The "dreaded" curl frequently surprises and discourages new machine knitters.
Explore ways to "tame" the curl.

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Side-by-side photos showing negative ease in action: a fitted pair of socks hugging the feet and a snug knitted hat conforming to a model's head shape
Machine Knitting Tips
Ease hat learning library measuring Negative Ease socks

Machine Knit Socks and Hats That Fit — Every Time

Take steps to guarantee that hats stay on and socks fit well with negative ease.

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A knitted sweater being worn with an overly long sleeve extending past the model's hands, highlighting the common fit issue of excessive sleeve length
Knitwear Design
magic formula sleeve sleeve length

Sleeves too long? Here are 3 easy ways to get them right

Why search for a pattern with short sleeves (or 3/4 length)?

With a little math (or a Knit it Now Dynamic Pattern) you can make the sleeves any length you want.

Be your own knitwear designer and knit perfect length sleeves.

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Demonstrating manual stitch reformation using a latch tool on a knitting machine, showing how to create ribbing by hand without a ribber attachment
Machine Knitting Techniques
mock ribbing ribbing

Ribbing without a Ribber

No ribber? You can manually reform stitches to create ribbing.

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Diagram of a standard knitting machine punchcard showing different starting positions marked for Brother, Singer, and Silver Reed machines, illustrating cross-brand compatibility
Machine Knitting Techniques
punchcard

Are punchcards interchangeable?

Punchcards printed by the different machine manufacturers may vary slightly, but they are interchangeable, with some limits.

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Flat lay arrangement of machine knitting tools showing several cast-on rags alongside claw weights and weight hangers, demonstrating essential tools for machine cast-on techniques
Machine Knitting Tips
cast on scrap and ravel cord

Cast on Rags

Cast on rags are a good alternative to scrapping on with waste yarn.

They are especially useful when casting on a few stitches (like the underarm stitches for a sleeve or for shaping a sock gusset).

They are re-usable and save time when casting on any number of stitches.

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Close-up photo of a knitting machine's tension assembly, showing detailed view of the numbered tension dial and threading area
Machine Knitting Tips
mast take-up spring mast tension dial tip

Thread it right

The tension mast on our machines controls the flow of yarn to the needles. Incorrectly threaded it can cause any number of problems, including mis-formed stitches, knitting dropping from the machine and mis-patterning. Take a moment to double check.

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Close-up of a knitted gauge swatch with yellow rulers
Machine Knitting Tips
gauge Gauge Rulers measuring swatch

Sometimes it's just something simple

Measure twice, KNIT ONCE
Words of wisdom to apply to establishing your gauge.

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Basic machine knitting setup with learning guides, showing how to start with Knit it Now's educational resources
Machine Knitting Tips
tip

Are you making machine knitting harder than it needs to be?

Getting discouraged with the knitting machine is preventable. Too many knitters forget that "Rome wasn't built in a day" .

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Close-up of a machine-knitted Fairisle pattern showing two-color stranded knitting
Machine Knitting Techniques
Double Bed jacquard

Jacquard vs Double Bed Jacquard

The term "jacquard" has a specific meaning the the fashion world, but machine knitters tend to use it differently.

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Organized machine knitting workspace showing a knitting machine, tablet with digital pattern, and essential tools ready for project planning
Machine Knitting Tips
patterns tip

Success Starts with Planning: Your Machine Knitting Project Guide

As if you are building a house, when knitting sweaters there are 2 important considerations, a plan and a blueprint.

Before you start knitting you need to identify what you want to knit (a plan) and have a blueprint (a pattern) to make it happen.

As you are reading the blueprint there may be symbols or terms that aren't quite clear to you. You wouldn't start cutting lumber and pounding nails before you understand exactly what you were building. The same holds true for knitting a sweater.

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